The Keeper
by Rozu3
Summary: On one otherwise normal day, Lavi and Bookman stumble upon an extremely powerful Exorcist with abilities not even Bookman has seen before. They bring him back to the Order to make him a part of the team, and soon, the unusual Exorcist is turning everything the Black Order thought they knew on its head - as well as catching the eye of a certain reluctant, raven-haired samurai.
1. 1

_Hm. So I know the idea of Neko!Allen and friends has been used a thousand times before, but after reading about it for the first time, I just couldn't get the idea of an adorable little Allen with furry white ears out of my head. Never before have I come across a character more suited to be a Neko. So, after quite a bit of effort spent trying to suppress the idea (which was obviously futile) my brain led me down this path._

_It's slightly AU, still taking place in the same time, with the same enemies and same Black Order, but with some different elements thrown in; you'll see them quite soon. I'm going to try to keep them in character, but there's going to be some inevitable deviations, of course._

_This will be Yullen, and perhaps Lavalee if you squint._

_Warnings: yaoi, etc, etc. If you're here, you know what to do._

_Also, Katsura Hoshino is my hero. She owns DGM. I don't. Neither do I own the Neko concept, but I do own everything in this story that does not directly correlate with DGM; in plain English, anything you didn't see in DGM belongs to me. Remember, stealing is bad. I don't do repetitive bullshit, so I'm writing this 'Disclaimer' once and once only; we all know the drill here. _

_Anyway... Enjoy ~_

_X Rozu-san_

* * *

"Seriously?" a boy with fiery red hair asked, his voice entertained and a bit amazed. His usable eye, a vibrant green color, was trained on the slender, white-haired boy lying on the ground in abject curiosity, and a wide smile graced his face.

A short man, elderly but still vigorous, only shook his head in response, his face twisted in to an unheard of expression of ignorance.

"I... I've never seen anything like this before. Even as a Bookman." His voice was tight and his eyes seemed to show a hint of wonder, though his face was creased in frustration.

The redhead didn't miss the significance of what the old man had said. His eye widened almost comically in response, and he turned back to the boy, curiosity even more visible on his features.

The youngster was curled into a fetal ball on the desecrated, bloody ground, almost appearing to be asleep despite the shallow, rasping movement of his chest. The half of the boy's face that was visible was pale and unmarred, but the redhead could see part of an angry red mark peeking out from the other side, his eyes hidden by shaggy white hair. The reason for the men's curiosity, though, was the pair of furry, white ears sitting atop the boy's head, nestled comfortably in his hair, as well as the slender white tail curled protectively about his legs. The ears were laid down flat to the boy's head, and his thin white brows were creased together.

All of a sudden, the boy's face scrunched up further, his tail twitching, and he let out a pitiful whimper. His fetal ball tightened, and that was when the redhead noticed a spreading red stain on the boy's side. His breath hitched, and he kneeled carefully down next to the boy. The elder man made no sound, but his face showed a hint of worry for the child despite his confusion.

"Lavi." the elder man said. Lavi turned his head slightly to show that he was listening, and the man continued. "I'm going back to Headquarters to report what we've seen here. Please, make sure to bring him there safely. His injuries could be serious; he needs treatment as soon as possible."

Lavi looked up at the man in apparent confusion. "Headquarters?" he asked in confusion. "Bookman?"

"Look." was his only reply. He pointed to the young boy's hand.

Lavi's brows rose into his hairline when he saw what his master was referring to. Thin lines, almost resembling scars, rested on the backs of the boy's fingers, following the bones they sat upon until they culminated, not quite reaching a small, symmetrical cross at the back of the boy's hand. The whole design was glowing green, and the color was unmistakable, even if it was fading fast.

"Innocence, huh? I suppose that about explains it, then." Lavi said, scratching the back of his head with a sheepish smile.

"It's clear now what we saw. Be careful with him."

Lavi nodded, and moved to scoop the petite creature up in his arms.

* * *

**_Shortly Prior _**

"Sir Exorcist, Chief Komui needs to see you in his office. He says it is urgent." A finder said, tapping Lavi on the shoulder.

Unable to stop a slight frown, Lavi stood, sending a quick wave to Lenalee before he left the cafeteria, who smiled at him in return. He hurried to Komui's office.

Upon entering the room, he saw Komui sitting behind his desk with a serious expression. Bookman was looking at him intently as well. Lavi sighed and pasted a smile on his face, curious as to why he was called.

"So, what's the deal, Chief? Got a mission for me?" he asked.

Komui shook his head. "This is a bit more serious than a mission," he said with a frown. "There seems to be a large number of Akuma heading for a city very close by. We don't know if there's innocence there or if they're targeting something, but regardless, they need to be stopped. They could be targeting the Order, and as foolish as that is, we need to be careful." he continued seriously. "Most of our exorcists are currently away on missions, so I unfortunately am unable to send you with more firepower; I need to keep some here should the worst happen. I'm counting on you and Bookman to finish them off." Finally, Komui smiled. "I'm confident you can do it."

"You can count on me, Chief." Lavi replied with a wink and a grin.

Bookman just grunted. Turning to Lavi, he said, "Let's get going. There's not much time."

Lavi nodded, his face turning serious. He quickly left the room with Bookman in tow, and before long, they were both travelling quickly on the handle of Lavi's hammer, the town in sight.

Lavi was the first to notice the bursts of light and explosions coming from the southwest corner of the city, and he aimed for that direction. Before more than a few seconds had passed, though, it became clear that those explosions weren't only explosions of destruction from Akuma on a rampage; he saw frequent flashes of green in between the explosions, as well as the purple blasts that could only come from an Akuma being destroyed. Lavi's interest was piqued.

He watched with a growing sense of confusion, as well as curiosity, as the destructive blasts slowed and the purple and green blasts increased in frequency, until finally everything stopped just as he and Bookman alighted at the edge of the town. Reacting instantly, they both raced to where they had last seen the explosions.

As Lavi stepped into the area where the Akuma should have been, he couldn't keep a bewildered look off his face. Even besides the burning buildings all around him, the magnitude of the destruction was enormous. There were corpses of Akuma everywhere, cleaved into pieces by what looked like claws.

His eye was drawn to the roof of one of the untouched buildings. He watched with a bit of fear as a figure landed lightly on top of the building. It stood still, head tilted upwards at the moon, which was by now high in the sky. For a second it swayed, then paused, dropping as if it had collapsed and rolling violently down the roof, slamming into the ground below with a sickening thud.

Lavi couldn't help the shock of terror he felt for the figure in spite of himself, even as he was unsure if the figure was friend or foe. He ran towards the place he'd fallen, reassured when he arrived to see Bookman already there.

His reassurance quickly disappeared as he neared, though, his gait taking on a slow, cautious step. Even so, he was unable to help himself; he peered down at the figure lying crumpled on the ground, his mind swirling with anger, fear, worry, and curiosity. He was unable to stop his eye from widening or a wry smile from spreading on his face at what he saw.


	2. 2

_Hn. I didn't put this story in the Humor category, but I hope you can see a bit of my wry humor here and there. _

_Thanks to all who reviewed and favorited._

_Enjoy ~_

_X Rozu-san_

* * *

**_Slightly Prior - Allen_**

Allen was running at full speed, dodging roots, trees, branches, and various other foliage as countless demons followed behind him.

"GAH, what an adorable little neko-chan! I just wanna eat him so bad!" A cross-eyed level two yelled tactlessly.

"No way! I get to eat 'im! He looks DELICIOUS!" another cackled in response.

All of the demons were yelling over one another, all vying for who was to get the chance to eat Allen.

_'Stupid, brainless demons.'_ Allen couldn't repress the vein that pounded in his forehead or the ear that twitched in annoyance at what the demons were spouting off.

He should've been used to it by now. Allen was both the bait and the trap, luring countless demons away and to their deaths.

He was feeling a tingle of fear, though, at the sheer number of demons he'd attracted in this area; he'd never had to deal with quite so many before.

It wasn't that he couldn't do it, Allen thought with a somber smile - he would kill them all easily. It just meant there was a greater chance of him getting hurt.

Suddenly, Allen found himself out of the forest, in a clearing between said forest and a city. He let out a curse.

Sure, picking off Akuma in a forest where he had a huge advantage was easy, but out in the open with so many demons after him, he was virtually screwed.

Allen really didn't want to fight in the city, since it would put the inhabitants in danger, but if he tried to fight the demons in the clearing it would be a clear loss for him. He looked back to the forest, but frowned when he realized the demons had overtaken him much faster than he'd thought. They were oozing out of the forest behind him, nearly blacking out the sky.

Allen's fear spiked into dread when he heard the characteristic "click-click" of their guns.

Allen dove behind the closest building as the demons began to fire. He was out of options. He could only hope for two things: that the civilians in this town knew to run fast at the sight of the Akuma, and that he could finish off the Akuma quickly.

_'Well, at least I can guarantee one of those prayers,' _Allen thought wryly, his pupils stretching into slits, his sharp canines lengthening into intimidating fangs, and his innocence extending his fingers into deadly claws.

* * *

Adrenaline was pumping through Allen's body, his heart thrumming to the rhythm of battle. He was covered in demon blood, and ravaged corpses and buildings lay in ruins everywhere. He scanned his surroundings with his cursed eye, detecting only a single Akuma remaining.

Relief washed through Allen as he realized the fight was nearly over. His tail curled in somewhat sadistic glee as he charged without hesitation at his last remaining enemy.

By the time Allen realized something was wrong, it was already too late.

"Heh, heh, heh, puny Exorcist," the demon growled in a voice far more terrifying than any level two.

_'Exorcist?' _Allen thought, grimacing at the demon.

Allen couldn't help but frown at himself derisively. He'd let himself get caught up in the heat of the moment, let himself get careless, and now he was paying the price with a fist through his stomach. _That _was going to hurt in the morning.

Cringing, Allen raised both his arms, plunging one clawed hand through the demon's chest while the other raked through his neck.

The effect was instantaneous, the demon plummeting down from the sky at an alarming speed. Allen disentangled himself from the corpse, landing cleanly on a building below and watching the level three's head and body fall in different directions.

Allen tilted his head up at the sky, his battle over for now. The air was pregnant with choking purple smoke and bright flames, but the moon somehow managed to shine through anyway.

Allen trained his eyes on the glow and said his silent prayer.

_'Pitiful demons, let your souls be saved.'_

With the adrenaline ebbing from his system, Allen no longer had any energy to stand. The last thing he was aware of was the buckling of his knees, though he was out before he could feel the impact.

* * *

**_Present_**

Lavi couldn't help but want to touch the sinfully soft-looking, furry white ears sticking up from the tiny boy's head. He brushed against one, eye opening wide when the neko let out a soft, drowsy _mew _in response.

It was a good thing Lavi only had eyes for one person, or this little creature might seriously challenge his control.

Lavi brushed against the ear again, smiling when it twitched, the boy's nose crinkling up. A sleek tail curled unconsciously around his arm, and he noted the softness.

_'Yeah... thank god I have Lenalee.' _he thought with a smirk. _'He's adorable. I'd never leave him alone.' _

Gradually, the creature's eyes blinked open, drowsily turning to look at the face above him. Dark silver eyes met a vibrant green one, and Lavi was finally able to see the entirety of the angry red mark on the left side of the creature's face. It looked odd; not like a scar, but almost like it had a purpose.

"Don't be afraid," Lavi said with a gentle smile. "I'm taking you to a place where you can get nice and healed up. You got injured pretty badly back there."

The boy blinked a few times before his eyes closed in a smile. "Um... I don't think that's really necessary. I do appreciate the gesture, though." he said.

Lavi looked at him quizzically. "What do you mean?" he asked.

One of the little neko's ears fell to rest on his head and he bit his lip gently with one sharp canine, brows furrowing together. _'Lenalee, Lenalee, Lenalee...' _ Lavi began chanting in his head. "Well, it's kind of hard to explain," the boy said, looking up at the redhead, "but I heal really quickly. I'm almost completely normal now, and by the time we get to wherever you're taking me, I'll be fine." he said in a soft voice.

Lavi just continued to stare at him with that quizzical look, until suddenly his eye widened. "_Oh! _So you're like Yuu then." He said.

Allen just blinked at him, caught up in the wordplay, when Lavi suddenly grinned.

"Was it really you who killed all those demons back there? Was anyone there to help you? Because if you did that all by yourself, that's pretty awesome. I don't even think I could do that." Lavi said all at once, grinning from ear to ear. He tilted his head to the side thoughtfully as he finished babbling.

"You're an Exorcist, then. Like us."

_'Exorcist?' _Allen thought. _'Where have I heard that before?... Oh, right. The demon. But why...?' _ Curious, Allen was about to ask what an Exorcist was when he again became aware of his position.

"Could you at least put me down? I should be alright now, ...?" Allen looked up at the redhead's face expectantly.

"Lavi." He said, face turning serious as he inspected the boy. Oddly enough, the boy looked completely fine, just like he'd said. "But if you feel sick, or tired, or anything..." Lavi looked at him seriously.

Allen nodded, just as serious as the other boy. "My name's Allen," he responded as he stood gingerly on the ground. By now, all he could feel was a dull ache in his side where his wound was. He'd been exaggerating when he said he'd be completely healed soon, but by now it should have at least scabbed over, and perhaps begun to scar. "Allen Walker. And, if you don't mind, what's an Exorcist?" Allen asked, genuinely curious.

"Hm... Well, an Exorcist is a person who bonds with Innocence and uses its power to fight the Akuma." Lavi turned to the imposing building in front of them, which they had arrived at without him noticing, Allen realized a bit late. "Most of us live here, at the Black Order. It's sort of a home, in a way." Lavi said. With a smile, he continued, "I'm an Exorcist, too, by the way."

Allen couldn't stop his eyes from widening at the other boy's words. "You know of Innocence?" he asked, surprised.

Lavi had just opened his mouth to answer when a black golem suddenly flew in front of him. _"Lavi? Everything alright?"_ came a voice from the floating device. He recognized it as Komui's.

"Yeah. Bookman's brought you up to speed then?" Lavi asked.

_"Yes."_ came the reply from the golem. _"We'll just have the Gatekeeper check him out, then we'll bring him in."_ Komui said through the golem.

Lavi nodded, already walking Allen towards the Gatekeeper.

"This guy's gonna tell us whether you're human or not, ok? Just a security measure, y'know." Lavi said.

Allen nodded, understanding, then turned to the large stone face on the wall. Instantly, it came to life, shrouding Allen in twin beams of yellow light.

"Eh? It's a bug?" a gravelly voice came from the face. Allen just stood there, looking up at the thing curiously, tail swishing slowly from side to side.

"BRRRRRRRRRRRP!" The Gatekeeper sounded. "HE'S A DEMON! HE'S GOT A PENTAGRAM, THE MARK OF THE EARL! HE'S OOOOUUTTAAA HEREEE!"

Allen suddenly looked absolutely petrified, his ears pushed flat to his head and eyes wide. Lavi let out a surprised yelp.

"N-no! you've got this all wrong! I'm just a little bit cursed, that's all! I promise I'm human! Promise!" Allen pleaded, scared for a reason he could sense but couldn't yet see.

Lavi heard a distinctly feminine voice say from the golem, _"Don't worry, Kanda's already on it."_ He couldn't help but bring his palm to his face in exasperation, looking up and sweatdropping when he saw Kanda rushing towards them.

Allen's ears twitched, looking at Lavi with wide eyes, before he turned cautiously in the direction of the new presence.

...

Lavi paused. Then blinked.

_'Wait a minute. Irresistible neko-chan, plus frigid Yuu...' _An evil smile appeared on Lavi's face. He retreated from the line of fire a bit, back into a veil of darkness. _'The little guy can obviously defend himself. This could get interesting,' _Lavi thought, feeling a sudden urge for a bowl of popcorn.

* * *

_Yay for Scheming!Lavi. lol. _


	3. 3

_I'm gonna have some long-ass explanations to write about what the hell's going on next chapter... *sigh*. Oh well, it'll be worth it._

_My continued thanks to everyone who reads, follows, favorites, and reviews._

_Enjoy ~_

_X Rozu-san_

* * *

The dark figure lighted down gracefully on the large gates.

"You're very brave to have approached this place... Or, more likely, just a fool." it taunted in a low, arrogant voice.

Any other time, Allen would have taken offense to the words, but right now, he was much too busy figuring out the best course of action. At least, that's what he told himself, as his ears and tail began to twitch in agitation. He snuffed out the insolence rising in his chest.

If what Lavi had said was true, then this person was supposed to be his ally, arrogance be damned. If that was indeed the case, Allen didn't want to fight him. That person thought he was a demon, though; he'd kill him in an instant, without remorse, if he wasn't careful. Frowning, Allen rubbed the scar etched into his forehead distractedly; the damn thing usually brought him more trouble than good, but he supposed its perks outweighed its disadvantages.

Tired of waiting for a reaction, the figure jumped off the gates to land gracefully in front of the boy. Allen shifted his posture into a more defensive stance, watching the other closely, though he couldn't see him well; the both of them were still cloaked in darkness. Allen's ears were flat to his head and his tail was stock still behind his back, all his movement suppressed.

"I don't want to fight you," Allen said, his eyes trained on the other.

"Che. Of course you don't, demon. I'm going to slice you to bits." the other said with perfect seriousness.

With that, Allen heard the shrill slide of metal against metal, and his eyes widened with interest. He watched fixedly as a gleaming silver sword was drawn from its sheath.

"_Mugen._" the other growled lowly, eyes closed as he traced the length of his sword with reverence. With the passage of his fingers came a pale blue, otherworldly glow, and Allen instantly recognized the crackling electricity that began to fill the air.

Innocence. So the other really was an ally.

Suddenly, the sword was pressed firmly against the side of his throat. Allen could feel the exceptionally sharp edge of the blade nearly cutting into his skin, as well as a prickly, electrical feeling from the Innocence imbued in the weapon. He winced. "Any last words?" The man said menacingly, only inches away from Allen's face. All he could see was a pair of glowing onyx eyes beneath a layer of dark bangs.

Allen's throat suddenly felt awfully dry. His brows knit together, face creasing into a frown, and his ears pinned themselves flat to his head. He tried to look away, but those dark eyes wouldn't let him. A hiss bubbled in his chest, but he suppressed the urge.

Kanda watched the boy try in vain not to struggle, a frown marring his pale features.

Softly, so lowly that Kanda would've missed it if he hadn't already been watching intently, Allen purred, "Innocence... activate."

All of a sudden, countless lights turned on, bathing the courtyard, and the two men, in harsh, artificial light. Kanda squinted harshly, bringing his free arm up to cover his eyes.

_"Ah! There it is!" _a muffled voice said, sounding suspiciously like Komui, from the golem hovering at Kanda's side. "Che," Kanda muttered under his breath, giving the object a withering glare from the corner of his eye. If looks could kill, the device would be no more than a steaming pile of mechanical bits by now.

Kanda lowered his free arm as his eyes began to adjust to the bright light, bringing his eyes back to the intruder he held at the end of his sword.

He was slightly shorter than Kanda, by perhaps a few inches. His build looked slight, but Kanda could tell by the way he held himself - unmistakably proudly - that he was stronger than he looked. A crimson mark ran down the left side of his face, and his expression was relaxed, his eyes gently shut. Two furry ears poked out of the silky-looking white mess on top of his head, and...

Wait. What?

Kanda blinked, his concentration completely thrown, but the ears didn't disappear. Intrigued, he continued to hold Mugen against the boy's throat, but otherwise paused in his attack.

Slowly, those white ears lengthened just the slightest bit, each coming to a more severe, feral point, like the ears of a lynx; along with them, his white hair slowly rose in the back, spiking into a more severe, wild style. The boy's lips parted, and his four canine teeth narrowed and sharpened, creating intimidating, feline fangs, the top two poking just barely past his bottom lip. His eyes opened ever so slowly, and Kanda watched his pupils elongate and sharpen into slits, the iris in his scarred eye turning a deep red. The eyes blinked once, scanning the newly illuminated clearing, before settling once again on Kanda.

All of a sudden, Kanda felt five long, sharp, claw-shaped fingers wrapping around his own throat, and he swallowed reflexively. He frowned, gritting his teeth at his own stupidity. Suddenly, something glowing caught Kanda's eye, and he flicked his gaze down to where a green design was pulsing on the back of the boy's hand. "You were saying?" came the boy's amused reply, his soft features twisted into a smug smirk.

_'This is his Innocence?' _Kanda marveled, eyes flicking up and down the cat-human hybrid. His mind was silent from disbelief, though barely any managed to leak out and onto his features.

Unexpectedly, Kanda was jolted awake as the cat-boy's eyes opened impossibly wide, and the boy gasped, staggering backwards, his hand removing itself from Kanda's throat. Kanda blinked at him and raised an eyebrow, perplexed, while resisting the urge to rub at the place his hand had been.

Allen had already begun to evaluate the tall, lean form in front of him as soon as the lights had come on, taking in the wide shoulders, the dark eyes, the darker hair, which was long and tied up out of the way, and the sharp, oriental features, but that was not what had provoked his reaction, though he grudgingly admitted to himself that he had taken special note of it all.

What had made Allen's jaw drop and eyes open as wide as saucers was the enormous, regal, luminescent bird of prey hovering behind the man.

"You...y-you're... you're..." Allen sputtered in awe.

Kanda frowned, his dark, hawk-like eyes pinning Allen in place, his face creasing in confusion. After a moment, he tore his eyes away with feigned disinterest, looking up at the enormous gates before them.

"Oi, Komui, what's the meaning of this?" he demanded, voice gruff and unmistakably pissed off.

Instantly, the black golem reappeared. _"Kanda?"_ A voice - Komui's - said from inside.

"Open your eyes, idiot. This _moyashi's _an exorcist. You saw his Innocence. Replace that fucking defective Gatekeeper before he gets someone killed," Kanda snapped, already stalking away.

"Moya- what the hell? I am not a bean sprout!" Allen exclaimed.

The other man, Kanda, briefly looked back at Allen in surprise, but just muttered a "Che," and continued stalking away.

_"Kanda! Wait!" _came a voice from the golem, then a deep sigh. Then, after a moment, the little black object proceeded to fly over to Allen, who was eyeing the other man with uncertainty as he walked away. Allen scrambled backwards with a staggered "Whoa-ah!" as the item invaded his personal space, snapping him out of his trance.

_"Oi, boy! Chill out! It's just me," _came a familiar voice from the bat-shaped transceiver.

"Lavi?" Allen gasped. Then, his face morphed into a petulant frown. "_Lavi!_" He groaned, incredulous. "What the hell! You practically left me to die!"

_"Ah, I knew you could take care of yourself, little guy! I saw you fightin' all those Akuma by yourself back there, remember?" _Lavi said, a grin obvious in his voice.

"I'd take the Akuma any day..." Allen lied under his breath, eyes narrowed and looking away in distaste.

_"Anyway, we're gonna have you come in now, okay? Our chief has a whole bunch of questions he wants to ask you about your Innocence. Oh, and it's badass, by the way. Your Innocence, I mean."_

Allen chuckled, scratching the back of his head bashfully. "Thanks, Lavi," He said.

Unsettled and distracted, Allen turned his eyes back to where he could still see Kanda walking away. Brows furrowed, he stared in wonder at the enormous, breathtaking creature hovering behind the equally breathtaking swordsman.

Sighing, Allen deactivated his left eye, his chest clenching a bit as first the majestic creature faded from view, then the regal man faded into the darkness.


	4. 4

_Guh. This is a seriously. long. chapter. _

_Luckily, I think I mentioned everything I wanted to say... and, trust me, it's a lot. Hopefully it's not too confusing... or boring. _

_Seriously. 15 fucking pages. 7,700. fucking. words._

_This chapter literally _triples_ the size of this story by itself._

_..._

_Just sayin', I deserve some major love... If you like it, that is. :3_

_As always, my continued thanks to all those who read, follow, favorite and review._

_Enjoy ~_

_X Rozu-san_

* * *

Allen looked around curiously at the room he was in. There were papers littered everywhere, and books sat on top of nearly everything, threatening to fall over at any moment. Somehow, there had been a clear space for him to sit on the couch, but as hard as he looked he couldn't see another space that wasn't covered in the room. He wondered idly what kinds of things might be hiding under all the clutter, but quickly halted that thought before his imagination could run too wild. He rubbed quickly away at a sweatdrop that appeared at the back of his head, hoping Komui didn't notice.

Komui, who was sitting behind his ridiculously cluttered desk, cleared his throat to get his attention. Allen turned his grey eyes to the elder man attentively, his body language outwardly relaxed. His thin, white tail was twitching slightly in his lap, though, and Komui idly wondered what, if anything, it meant.

"Are you _sure _this is okay, Allen?" He asked.

Face becoming serious, Allen nodded, his white ears bobbing with the movement.

"It's something that needs to be known, Komui. You know, now, as well as I do, that this completely changes what you know about Innocence." Sighing, Allen shook his head with a small smile. "I don't expect everyone to believe what I have to say, but it's not like I can keep it a secret. If I don't tell someone, the knowledge will die with me, and I see no reason not to tell the Black Order; it would by far benefit you the most."

Komui gave him a small smile. "You're right," He said. His face became inquiring. "Who would you like to tell? Should we keep it a secret among the exorcists?" he asked. Instantly, Allen shook his head in disapproval. "No. If the Exorcists know, the phenomena will begin to happen among them, once they begin to recognize the signs. If that happens, the Finders will be completely in the dark about it, not to mention the scientists and other staff if they witness something happen. Plus, I'm not naive enough to think you won't put your staff right to work on researching anything out of the ordinary, Komui." Allen said with a knowing smile. At that, Komui grinned, not denying it, and scratched the back of his head sheepishly. Then, he sighed gently, looking back to Allen with a ghost of a smile still on his face.

"Well then, prepare yourself. I can tell you for sure that you're going to get some interesting reactions," he said with a chuckle.

Allen smiled and laughed lightly along with him. When it had become quiet again, he took a deep breath, then nodded. "I'm ready." he said.

Komui nodded back, reaching for a radio on his desk. Depressing a button, he spoke into it, "All available Black Order personnel - this includes all staff members, all finders and all exorcists - please report to the cafeteria for an important announcement. I repeat, all available staff members, finders and exorcists report to the cafeteria as soon as possible."

Komui nodded at Allen, standing from behind his desk. Crinkling and cracking sounds could be heard as he walked across the floor, numerous papers becoming crushed beneath his footsteps, and Allen couldn't help but grin at the odd man for the state of his office. Standing from his place on the couch, he regarded him with a smile. "I suppose we should be heading to the cafeteria, then?" He asked.

Komui smiled. "Yes. And I'll be there to support you the whole time, and even back you up, if need be." Allen blinked at the man in surprise as he stood next to him, appreciation evident on his face as his steely eyes met with his senior's dark ones. "Thank you." he said with sincerity.

As Allen and Komui walked side by side out of the cluttered office, Allen felt himself remembering the past few days he'd been at the Order; how he and Komui had been talking about Allen's past over the last week, how Komui had been taking in everything he told him with a voracious appetite, and how ridiculously excited the scientist had been to research his Innocence. He let out a light chuckle as he remembered how the man had nearly appeared to have a heart attack the day he'd gone to meet Hevlaska for the first time.

Allen had been almost fascinated by the great creature the first time he'd seen her. He smiled as he recalled the event, and the reasons for Komui's near heart-attack.

Allen had taken an instant liking to her as Komui introduced the two. He'd walked over as close as he could come to her without falling off his platform, bowing as he introduced himself.

"My name is Allen Walker. It's a pleasure to meet you, Hevlaska." He'd said.

Allen had been still - barely - as the creature had analyzed him and his Innocence, though he still couldn't quite forget the odd feeling. He repressed a shudder at the memory.

But then, Hevlaska had sighed a wistful, happy breath as she pulled away, showing him a genuine smile as she bowed as much as she could in return, and it had been worth every second. "And it is a pleasure to meet you, as well, my Keeper." she'd answered.

That was when Komui had had his heart attack, of course. After the scientist had finished sputtering and his words had become almost understandable, he'd asked Hevlaska what she meant by 'Keeper'. The gentle creature had only shook her head with a smile, still looking somewhat wistful. "I knew he was a Keeper because of his Innocence," she told him, "But the rest is for him to tell you himself."

Komui had only been able to look at him quizzically. "His Innocence? What do you mean?" he'd asked.

Hevlaska had smiled down at Allen, who was listening to the creature with interest as well, his steely eyes trained on her intently. "When an Exorcist becomes a Keeper, the... _feeling_ of the Innocence changes." she said. She was obviously content, and she brought her head down to Allen's in order to touch his forehead with her own, a deep, soft rumbling sound coming from someplace inside her. "I only wish to feel your Innocence more, my dear," she said softly. "It feels so warm, so happy." Allen felt one of her limbs stroke his ear and sighed in contentment, blushing a bit bashfully at her doting behavior.

Needless to say, Komui's reaction after seeing the serious Hevlaska turn into a purring mess had been nothing short of ridiculous as well, but he'd soon recovered and, seemingly having received his proof that Allen was trustworthy, began asking him questions left and right.

Allen shook himself out of the memory and sighed wistfully. He and Komui had become very close friends over the past few weeks of research, conversations, and questions.

Allen felt a hand on his shoulder and brought himself back to the present. It seemed they'd made it all the way to the cafeteria while Allen was spacing out. Komui was smiling down at him encouragingly.

"Are you ready?" he challenged with a smile.

Allen nodded, returning the grin while expertly hiding his nerves, and followed his senior into the cafeteria.

* * *

Allen heard the whole room hush as Komui and himself entered the cafeteria. Members of the Black Order filled every space, and he quickly identified the Finders in their beige robes, the Scientists scattered around in labcoats, and a handful of Exorcists sitting near the front in casual clothing. He felt countless gazes land on him, and quiet whispers began to float around the room. He ducked his head, hiding his face in his hair, all at once feeling like he stuck out like a sore thumb in his full Exorcist gear, but Komui had insisted that he wear it. He frowned as he felt his ears press down against his head, his tail wrapping around his waist protectively, unable to control his own instinctive reactions.

He hesitantly lifted his head as he saw Komui step to the forefront of the room, and the man clapped his hands together once in the near-silence. Sufficiently distracted, Allen's ears perked and he began to listen intently.

"Members of the Black order: thank you all for coming here on such short notice. I apologize for interrupting anything, but this meeting is extremely important, as there are some things all of you need to hear." Komui said, regarding the people in the room with serious eyes.

"You all know that about a week ago, a new Exorcist by the name of Allen Walker joined our ranks. I'm sure each and every one of you knows that Allen utilizes a type of power than no one in the Black Order has witnessed before, and that he has some very unique... features." His gaze swept over the crowd with a raised eyebrow and a knowing smile, and some faint chuckles were heard in response. Allen ducked his head from his place behind Komui, and his ears began to twitch in embarrassment.

As the sounds of the crowd died down, Komui's gaze turned serious. "But I'm also sure that not a single one of you has anticipated the impact of what this boy has to say." His eyes swept over the crowd again, observing the confused faces of the people gathered together in the room.

Komui paused for a second, then with a note of deep seriousness, began his speech. "Allen, since he was a very young boy, has been raised by an underground society. They have no name, and have lived on in total secrecy for thousands of years, passing down their knowledge of the old ways to each new generation. Their purpose was to retain the oldest knowledge about the creation of this world... and the creation of Innocence." With this, Komui paused in his speech, and soft gasps were heard throughout the room. Komui remained silent for a few more seconds, and his chin lowered a little.

"Unfortunately, this nameless society is no more. Allen is the only survivor." Again, silent gapes and gasps could be seen throughout the crowd.

Suddenly, Komui's chin lifted, and he regarded the crowd seriously.

"I have been keeping this boy under my care and surveillance for the past week, since I had no proof to justify his story. Since he is, though, without a doubt, an Exorcist capable of fighting demons, I took several of days to show him around the Black Order and teach him our ways, with the intention of having him become one of us."

Komui sucked in a deep breath.

"But several days ago, in an unexpected event, someone that I trust implicitly proved every word of Allen's story right. Hevlaska."

A collective gasp was heard throughout the crowd, and many of the scientists turned to each other with stunned faces.

Komui continued.

"Hevlaska, who knew the stories of the secret society from her own contact with the Cube, recognized Allen as a Keeper - an Exorcist who has unlocked the true power of his Innocence - by no more than feeling him." Komui looked seriously at the crowd. "And since Hevlaska trusts him, he has my full trust as well."

This time, when Komui paused, there was only silence in the room. Everyone was looking at him intently, their faces shocked.

"His Innocence is the same substance as every Exorcist's in this room, but through the knowledge passed down by the nameless society, he's learned how to unlock its full potential in a way we have never known. That is what Hevlaska could feel, and was how she recognized him as a Keeper without knowing more than his name."

Komui looked to the crowd again, his expression betraying the gravity of his words. "The things Allen has to say concern each and every one of us, and will completely change what we know about Innocence. I ask that you show him utmost respect, and that you take his words to heart." With that the man bowed and stepped backward, proceeding to lean against the wall.

Komui gestured to Allen with a sweep of his hand, throwing him an encouraging smile.

_'Well, here goes nothing...' _Allen thought, taking a deep breath as he stepped up to stand in the place Komui was just prior, trying to disguise his nerves even though he was sure everyone in the room could hear the pounding of his heart.

As Allen readied himself to speak, he made the mistake of looking up at the enormous crowd before him. Hundreds of faces stared at him intently and expectantly, and at once his throat seemed to close. He tried to speak, but no words would come. His panic was rising with each second, and he could feel a blush rising on his face. He only barely suppressed the urge to duck his head in shame, and he could feel his ears press flat to his head and his tail begin to twitch involuntarily, which only made him blush harder.

Just as he was about to bolt from the room in shame, Allen saw a familiar face sitting near the front of the crowd. Lavi was looking up at him with a wide, cheeky smile, and as Allen's gaze connected with his, he sent him a subtle thumbs-up. Allen felt some of his nervousness fade away, and he suppressed the urge to smile widely back at his friend. He'd missed him during the past week.

Allen's eyes slowly drifted over the rest of the exorcists sitting at the front of the room. First, he saw a pretty girl with long, green pigtails and violet eyes. As he looked at her, she gave him an encouraging, sweet smile, and he nodded slightly in response. His eyes passed over a mousy girl with brown hair, who sent him a nervous smile; a tall man with black hair and a white forelock, who nodded at him with a calm grin; a tall, muscled man wearing some sort of headset, who was looking at him calmly; a short, elderly-looking man with dark circles around his eyes, who was eyeing him intensely; and... then there was Kanda, who was looking at him expressionlessly, just as he had when he'd first met him. The man raised an eyebrow at Allen, snapping him out of his trance and returning him to the task at hand.

Allen shook his head to wake himself, and strangely, he didn't feel as nervous anymore. Now he felt... like people were supporting him. He felt his fear ebb away slightly as he eyed the other Exorcists, and he cleared his throat.

"As you know, my name is Allen Walker," Allen began. "My family abandoned me when I was very young because I was born with a body imbued with Innocence." He paused, and closed his eyes.

"Soon after, I was rescued by a traveling circus clown named Mana, and he took me in as his son, raising me from a young age. As it would turn out, Mana was a member of the secret society Komui explained to you all. Even when I was very young, he would take me to their meetings with him as his son, and I learned all the legends as a child would learn fairy tales.

Allen's eyed slitted just slightly open, and he trained his eyes on an invisible spot in front of him. "I lived happily with Mana for three years. He was like a father to me. But one day..." Allen stopped, swallowing harshly, and continued in a softer voice, "...he died."

"I was so distressed when it happened, that... when the Millennium Earl approached me, telling me I could bring him back..." Allen swallowed again. "I did just that."

Gasps could be heard throughout the room, and Allen could feel his heart rate spike. He winced and lifted his head slowly. He stared forward, looking at no one as he talked, not wanting to see the expressions on the faces around him; if he saw the fear, the resentment, the distrust that he was sure was there, he knew he wouldn't be able to continue.

"After I brought him back, he gouged my eye and cursed it, giving me this mark..." Hand shaking, Allen lifted his shaggy hair from the left side of his face, exposing the dark red tattoo. "...and the ability to see souls that do not have a body. Then, the Innocence I was born with activated... and I killed him." He looked down, hoping no one would see the shame in his eyes.

At this, Allen heard mixed murmurs of approval and uneasiness ripple through the crowd, and he smiled a small, sad smile.

Suddenly, someone in the crowd raised their hand, and he looked up, surprised. "Yes, Lavi?" He asked, turning his gaze to the grinning redhead.

"You said you can see souls that don't have a body. What exactly does that mean? Can you, like, see dead people in graveyards and stuff?" Lavi asked, his expression one of repressed excitement. Allen couldn't help but chuckle at the question, and he quickly recognized Lavi's underhanded attempt to brighten his mood. Unbeknownst to Lavi, though, he had actually hit a very important topic right on the head.

"No, Lavi. I can't see dead people, fortunately." Allen said with a small smile. "With my cursed eye, I can see the captured soul that an Akuma controls, even when the Akuma is in disguise." Allen heard several murmurs of approval rise from the crowd. "There are other things I can see, as well, but they're not as important at the moment. I'll explain those later." Lavi's eyebrows furrowed together and his expression changed to one of curiosity - he clearly wasn't expecting that.

Unbeknownst to Allen, Kanda's head had jerked up at what he'd said, where he had just been staring disinterestedly at the wall before. His eyes narrowed dangerously at the white-haired boy, something about what he had said tugging on a buried thought in his mind.

Allen sighed, and his grey eyes once again turned to look over the crowd, his face carefully blank.

"When the incident was over, I had nowhere to go, so I returned to the nameless society. They took me in as much as they possibly could, being what they were, and I became the only member of the group at the time to bear Innocence." Allen blinked. "They had had many members over the years that could use Innocence, of course - I wasn't the first one to be a member as well as an Exorcist - and if they hadn't, the society wouldn't have known nearly as much as they did about Innocence. I was considered a valuable ally as a result. I stuck with them for several years, protecting the legends of the old ways and destroying demons whenever I found them, though I was on my own for most of that time. I returned whenever the group was called to gather."

Allen smiled, somewhat dreading what was to come next.

"Now, before I go any further with my story, I am going to tell you of the legends that they have passed down for thousands of years."

Allen could practically feel the vibrations of uncertainty emanating from the crowd in that moment; his heart rate spiked again, and he was unsure if he should, or even could, continue. Suddenly, he felt a reassuring hand on his shoulder, and Komui was smiling down at him. The elder man turned to the crowd again, expression serious.

"Members of the Black Order, I ask that you take these stories seriously. Though Allen calls them 'legends', these are secrets that have been held at the heart of a closely guarded, top secret society for thousands of years, not to mention that they explain what we have not been able to about Innocence in all the Black Order's years of operation." He paused, looking to the crowd with serious eyes. "I fully believe them, and though I cannot force you all to, I hope that those of you in doubt will at least try." With that, Komui nodded, retreating back to his place on the wall.

Allen saw the girl with long, green hair nod, determination in her eyes, back at Komui, then turn her head to the other Exorcists. She said something to them with an appearance of finality, then turned to look at Allen with faith in her eyes. He turned to Lavi and saw the same faith there as well. Interestingly enough, nearly all the Exorcists were looking at him with varying shades of interest and curiosity - even approval - and Allen felt his heart clench.

Allen tried to keep his eyes from looking at a certain Exorcist, afraid of what he might see there, but failed. When he unwillingly met the other's eyes, he was surprised to see not disbelief, but a challenge swimming in his dark eyes, as if the other was _daring _him to make him believe.

Allen felt his pride swell up in his chest to meet the challenge, and he looked over the crowd in front of him with renewed confidence.

"Prepare yourselves," He said. "This is knowledge that has never before been revealed to the outside world. I ask that you harbor it well, and with the respect that it is not information to be shared or taken lightly." Allen said gravely.

The young, white-haired, cat-eared, cursed boy closed his eyes, and his back straightened nearly imperceptibly. His eyes opened slowly, and they seemed to be swirling with centuries of secret knowledge. Kanda couldn't help but look on in fascination as the boy began to tell his story.

* * *

**Ancient Legend: The History of Earth**

"Long ago, when the universe was no more than a place of nothingness, the Great One reached his hand into the darkness and created Life. He molded his own life force into a place where others could live, making it a paradise of beauty and luxury. Then, he created one being in his own Image - the Original. He loved the Original from the moment it was born, and breathed his own life into it. The Original loved the Great One and the Great One loved the Original, but the Great One wanted to create a companion for it, so that the Original could love another in flesh as well as spirit."

Allen paused and looked over the crowd with sharp eyes, his face serious.

"One by one, the Great One created all the creatures of the earth, and after each one he asked the Original if it was a suitable companion. For each one, the Original would say no. After all the creatures of the Earth were created, the Great One took one of the Original's bones and, breathing his own life into the fragment, created the Second. When the Original saw the Second, it knew the other was the perfect companion, and the Original told the Great One so.

"The bond between the Original and the Second was so strong that it physically became the Original Innocence - what you would know as the Cube. After feeling the strength of its bond with the Second, the Original realized that it loved all of the other creatures that the Great One had created as well, and those bonds turned into the Innocence fragments that you all know."

Allen smiled nervously, seeing hundreds of bewildered faces looking at him from the crowd.

"That is the most important part of the legend, concerning what you know about Innocence.

"The legend goes, though, on to say that two more were born of the Original and the Second, and they were called the Third and the Fourth. They were both blessed and lived peaceful lives with the Great One, the Original, the Second, and all the creatures of the Earth. But the Third became jealous because he thought that the Great One favored the Fourth over him. Over time, his resentment grew, until finally the Third murdered the Fourth out of jealousy and anger. It is said that the Great One was so angry at the Third, that he cursed him and all his descendants to suffer for the remainder of time." Allen looked back at the crowd, eyes intense.

"The Third's descendants are thought to be what you would call Noah."

Allen heard shocked gasps echo all around the room, but pushed ahead with his story.

" The Great One saved the Fourth's soul, for it was beautiful and pure, and the Original, in remorse for the Fourth's death, passed on the bonds he had created with the creatures of Earth to all of the Fourth's descendants. The Second passed on the gift of Knowledge to the Fourth's descendants, instructing them to keep the story of the Great One alive.

"The nameless society is said to descend from the Second's blessing of knowledge, and Exorcists are said to descend from the Original's blessing of bonds."

When Allen paused, there was complete and utter silence. He looked up at the faces filling the cafeteria, and each and every one was watching with varying degrees of rapt fascination. His heart clenched with pride, and he took a deep breath before continuing.

"Now," he said with a small smile, "back to what Lavi asked about me seeing souls that do not have a body." Allen saw many faces twist into confusion at his sudden change in subject, but he knew it would make sense to them very soon.

Allen took a deep breath. "Each and every Exorcist harbors a piece of Innocence, which is a physical remnant of a bond that the Original shared with a creature of Earth, and every Exorcist therefore carries the soul of one of the original creatures of Earth with them. I can see this soul, this... _partner_, per se, as well, with my cursed eye." Allen said.

For a minute, there was silence, and Allen braced himself for the inevitable uproar that was coming. After a long period of silence, he cracked open one eye, but everyone looked the same way they had a minute ago. Their faces were surprised, but they also held notes of... _fascination_.

Suddenly, the green-haired girl from before stood from her place next to Lavi. "My name's Lenalee Lee. It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Allen." She intrtoduced herself. Her eyes were exceedingly calm and gentle looking, Allen noted. "And... does that mean the soul you carry with you is a cat? Is that why you have those adorable little cat ears?" She asked with a teasing smile.

Scratch that. Those were evil, mischievous eyes, Allen amended.

Allen instantly turned red, and he ducked a bit, his ears falling to rest on his head bashfully. He smiled shyly, and said, "Um... that's part of it, yes."

There was a moment of silence.

"That's fucking awesome!" Lavi yelled, jumping up from his spot next to the green-haired girl, and Allen laughed genuinely at his expense.

Then, just as quickly as he'd spoken, Lavi's excited face shifted into one of confusion. "Wait a minute. Allen, why are you the only Exorcist with cat ears? If every Exorcist has this 'bond', shouldn't we all have cat ears, or, um, something?" he asked, brows furrowed.

Allen focused on Lavi , then moved his eyes to the side when he noticed the short, elderly man looking at him intensely. He nodded slightly to the man, having been told by Komui earlier that he and Lavi were Bookmen, and that he'd be extremely interested in what he had to say. The elderly man's dark-rimmed eyes widened a bit, before he nodded very slightly in response.

Allen smiled, his gaze returning to the redhead. "That's a good question, Lavi. And you're going to have to bear with me for the answer, because it's not entirely clear." Allen said, face purposely blank.

Lavi 's usable eye crinkled in confusion at the unsatisfying answer. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"I'll explain," Allen replied. "See, every Exorcist holds a bond, but the intensity of the bond differs among them. The nameless society never new why, though heaven knows they tried tirelessly to find out. It was either a piece of knowledge that was never passed down, or it was lost somewhere along the way."

There was a moment of silence, and then the elderly man he'd nodded at before stood from his seat. Fixing Allen with his intense stare, he said, "Does that mean that the difference in the intensity of the bond makes a difference, then?" the Bookman asked.

Allen frowned. "Not really," he said. Then, his face abruptly turned serious. "Once the bond between an Innocence holder and their partner has been acknowledged, the power that results from even a small union as such is incredible. To put it very plainly, once an Exorcist succeeds, it 's like sticking a key into the Innocence they harbor and unlocking it. They become far more powerful, regardless of how much they and their partner can bond, though I suppose those that can create a complete bond are, in fact, the strongest."

After a momentary, silent pause, another of the Exorcists stood up. He was very tall and lean, and had black hair with a single white forelock. He bowed to Allen and proceeded to introduce himself, his voice heavy with a thick Romanian accent. "My name is Arystar Krory III," he said. "Pleased to make your acquaintance, de aru."

Allen bowed slightly to the man in return. "It's a pleasure to meet you as well, Krory-san. What is your question?" Allen asked, regarding the pale man intently.

The Exorcist smiled at Allen. "Please, just call me Krory, if you would. And how, exactly, does an Exorcist go about 'unlocking his Innocence', as you said before?" he said, watching Allen intently.

Allen smiled at Krory warmly, but shook his head. "Despite the fact that I've done it, it's not really something I can explain. I can tell you, though, that you will know when or if it happens. My transformation happened in a time of great danger and distress... when the nameless society was betrayed and ambushed by demons during a meeting several years ago. I was the only one who survived, and only because I was able to unlock my Innocence and merge with my partner that day." Allen smiled sadly.

Allen heard several murmurs from the crowd, but continued to keep his attention on the tall man.

"I have heard similar stories about Exorcists that were a part of the nameless society unlocking their Innocence in the same way. I can only assume that it involves being in danger."

Krory didn't look like he was completely satisfied with the answer, but sat down himself after bowing again to Allen.

Suddenly, Lavi raised his hand again, and Allen noticed the redhead squirming in impatience in his seat. He held back a laugh at the redhead's behavior, but couldn't stop a pleased smile from forming on his face. "Lavi?" He asked, amused.

"What about the cat ears? We never established why you have them and we don't." He said, an almost pouty look on his face. Allen again fought hard to restrain a laugh.

Still smiling, he cocked his head to the side briefly, focusing on something invisible as he concentrated, his brows furrowing. "There are two types of Exorcists," Allen started. Lavi didn't quite understand what that had to do with it, but he nodded for Allen to continue anyway. "Nearly all Exorcists fall into the first category - the 'common' type, you could say - and they receive power from their partner when their Innocence is unlocked and activated." Allen paused. "But sometimes - very, _very_ rarely - an Exorcist will be born that can fully merge with their partner - the 'rare' type. The reason why it could go either way was never something the Keepers were able to find out, though."

He heard quite a few curious murmurs from the crowd, and continued on.

"While all Exorcists who have unlocked their Innocence will utilize the bond with their partner, the way the two types do it is completely different. The common type, for example, unlocks their bond with their partner very easily, and receives the physical changes and powers from doing so only when they draw on their Innocence." Lavi was still looking up at Allen, confused. "That means, Lavi, if I was that type, I would only have cat ears and a tail when fighting demons." Allen concluded.

Lavi nodded enthusiastically, his expression becoming less confused, and he seemed to understand where Allen was going with this. "So you're in the second category, then?" he asked.

"Yes. The rare type Exorcists are different because they fully merge with their partner. Additionally, it is _far _more difficult for them to unlock their Innocence, since their bonding involves merging together _permanently _and is far more complex."

Lavi blinked at him, his expression thirsty for more. Allen continued.

"When a rare type Exorcist unlocks their Innocence, the process is literally the combination of two souls. It is violent, painful, and extremely taxing when it happens. I can say that from experience." Allen grimaced, remembering when he'd gone through the process. "And, as a result, the scope of transformations is a bit different." Allen reached up and fingered his ear gently. "After a rare type Exorcist unlocks their Innocence and they merge with their partner, they receive the power and physical changes from their partner permanently - that's why I have cat ears and a tail. The common type Exorcist would undergo a similar change, but it would go no further than that, and it would only happen when activating their Innocence; they'd return to normal after deactivating it. The rare type starts at the place that the common type would be unable to exceed when activating their Innocence, and are able to change even further, to the point where they take on a large amount of features resembling their partner. You've seen me activate my Innocence, Lavi, and that was only a tiny fraction of what I can do." Allen finished with a smirk.

Lavi's grin was so wide, it was nearly dominating his face. "That's so fucking _cool!_" he exclaimed, fist raising to the air for a second before he brought himself under control. Allen smiled at the redhead's behavior, and heard several people laughing at the reaction. Lavi grinned back at Allen. "Would you activate for us, Allen? Please?!" Lavi pleaded.

Allen couldn't help but laugh heartily at the request, and smiled indulgently at him. "Have you forgotten where we are, Lavi? Maybe later." Allen compromised. All of a sudden, Lavi's face became confused, and he looked around quickly at the others around him, who were smirking at the excited redhead mercilessly. Lavi sat down quickly with a sheepish smile, an air of embarrassment hanging around him.

There was a pause.

"Oi."

Allen's ears perked up immediately, his head instinctively following the deep voice to its source. The entire room fell silent.

"I'm assuming that, with that messed-up eye of yours, you can tell the two types apart, correct?" Kanda asked.

Allen tried to shape his face into an expression that was a bit less shocked, but was having a hard time. He blinked at the other man, who was regarding him impatiently. He raised an eyebrow.

Allen cleared his throat. "Yes." He said.

"How?" was all he asked, his face unreadable and blank, but his dark eyes betraying his emotions.

Allen clearly heard the challenge in the other man's question, saw it in his eyes, and couldn't stop his pride from rising to it. Kanda watched intently as Allen activated his eye, the organ taking on a deep red hue, and the hundreds of people in the audience looked on in awe. Many gasps were heard as they watched on, completely drawn into the boy's pace.

Allen turned his gaze to look at Lavi. "The partner of a common type Exorcist, to me, actually sits in the Exorcist's shadow, though it takes the form of their partner." His mismatched gaze lingered on the animal-shaped shadows sitting below nearly all the exorcists in the room.

Allen was unable to stop his grey and red eyes from meeting Kanda's dark ones as he began to talk again, and he couldn't help but stare, mesmerized, at the dark-haired samurai and the creature hovering behind him. "The other type, though I haven't see them often, is more impressive... the partner glows like a star, is bigger, and seems... almost like a living entity. Like it's self-aware. It's beautiful." Kanda frowned, and Allen, realizing that he was staring, quickly tore his gaze away. He stared unseeingly at the far wall, attempting to keep his face impassive.

"Ne, Allen, Is there anyone here who's that rare type you were talking about?" Lavi blurted out, catching Allen's attention again, his face full of excitement. He seemed to nearly be bouncing up and down in his seat.

Allen paused. "Besides myself... Yes. There's one." Allen said, voice serious.

Lavi instantly jumped out of his seat, vibrating with excitement, and Allen had to hold back another laugh even as his heart was pounding. "Who is it?! Dammit, that's so freaking cool! Allen, tell us who it is!" Lavi pleaded.

Allen's eyes quickly flickered to Kanda again, but it happened so quickly that the dark-haired man almost thought he'd imagined it. He knew better than to think he had, though. He turned his gaze to the rest of the Exorcists, all of which looked entirely oblivious, until he met Lenalee's eyes. She was staring at him with a small frown, and Kanda wondered idly if the perceptive girl had caught onto Allen's odd behavior as well.

"I'm not at liberty to tell," Allen said, smiling at Lavi gently. "As you all learn to to unlock your Innocence, it will become clear. Until then, it's not my place to say."

Lavi pouted, puffing a breath of air out through his lips, and Allen chuckled at him happily.

Allen felt a hand on his shoulder again, and suddenly, Komui was standing beside him. He looked at the crowd with a light smile on his face.

"Thank you all for being here to listen. As you can imagine, this completely changes the way we'll think about Innocence from here on out. Please, take as long as you need to reflect on what you heard today, and feel free to come to Allen or myself if you have questions. You are all free to go."

Allen watched as the majority of the Finders and Scientists began to get up and leave, and felt hundreds of eyes land on him. He couldn't help but duck his head as countless people greeted him on their way out, and he blushed heavily, his ears laying bashfully on his head and his tail swirling in nervous circles.

He heard Komui chuckle at him lightly from his place by his side, and he turned to regard the senior scientist with an irritated expression. He gave into the childish urge to stick his tongue out at the man, which only made him laugh harder, and shook his head with a smile.

After Komui had calmed down, he regarded Allen with a mischievous grin. "I was just laughing at how you got so embarrassed because all those people actually _liked _you. And you were so confident during the whole speech, too!" He said, amusement in his voice. Allen pouted at that, and Komui's smile turned warm. "You did great. I was hanging onto every word, just like everyone else." he said, his eyes full of pride and sincerity for the young boy.

Allen gaped at him, his ears perking up a bit, and smiled, a note of surprise in his voice. "Really?" he said, his eyes wide but happy.

"Really, little one." An unfamiliar voice said, and Allen turned to see the well-built man from before standing in front of him and Komui. He reached his hand out to Allen with a gentle smile. "My name is Noise Marie. It is great to finally meet you, Allen." He said.

"It's a pleasure for me, as well, Marie-san," he said, shaking the man's hand. All of a sudden, the blank eyes of the man before him and the oversized headset over his ears came together in his mind, and with a small gasp, he regarded the blind Exorcist before him with new respect.

The man suddenly smiled a bit wider, and turned his head to regard Komui with amusement. "He's a perceptive one, Komui. Why've you been hiding him all this time?" he asked, his voice taking on an amused tone.

Allen watched Komui smile in return out of the corner of his eye. "You know I had to do it, Marie. Had to make sure he was trustworthy, you know. I couldn't have any of my dear Exorcists getting hurt by a spy." Komui said with a smile, even though his voice held a quiet note of seriousness. He ruffled Allen's hair playfully.

Komui's face flashed with surprise when the cat-boy unconsciously pushed his head into his hand, and after recovering from his shock, he scratched at the boy's scalp experimentally in response. All of a sudden, the boy began to purr softly, and Komui's face broke out into a fascinated, yet pleased, grin, Marie's face morphing into a captivated smile. Komui's eyes were caught and held by the adorable creature as it leaned into his hand, his grey eyes closed in pleasure and his tail swishing lightly behind his back.

"Gyyaaaah! That is SO adorable!" Lavi exclaimed loudly, and the neko jumped about a foot in the air, his hand pressing firmly against his heart. He glared at Lavi with wide eyes, still working to catch his breath. After a second, though, his frown broke, and he regarded Lavi with a smile. He'd really missed the buffoon.

"Seriously, that was just too cute." the green-haired girl, whose name he remembered to be Lenalee, said in agreement, and all three Exorcists plus Komui began to laugh. Allen couldn't help but blush and look down to the floor, hoping that a hole would open up under him and end his misery.

Suddenly, Allen felt a familiar, burning stare on him, and he brought his blushing gaze up to meet a pair of black eyes. As soon as he met them, they looked away, though - almost too quickly. He wanted to investigate, but was distracted, then, when the rest of the Exorcists came to stand with Lavi, Lenalee, and Marie. He looked up at them expectantly, and cleared his throat.

"Humm... It's a pleasure to meet all of you," He said, voice still showing his embarrassment.

Immediately, he felt a strong arm wrapping around his neck, accompanied by a shock of red hair, and he smiled up at Lavi contentedly. "I've missed you, Allen, man!" the overenthusiastic redhead said. Allen looked up at Lavi and the exorcists gathered around him with happiness, their faces kind and clearly amused by Lavi's antics.

Suddenly, he felt experimental fingers touching his ear, and looked up at Lavi with a frown. He bit his lip, blushing again, trying to hold in some embarrassingly pleasured noises at the feeling it inspired - though he couldn't stop an instinctive purr from coming out - as the redhead stroked it gently. Until suddenly, he felt a hard tug and yelped loudly, slapping at Lavi's hands in anger.

"Dammit, Lavi! It's not like it's attached to my head or anything, just yank on it why don't you?!" Allen yelled, his ears pressed flat to his head, glaring up at the surprised Exorcist in annoyance as he rubbed at the ear that was currently throbbing.

Suddenly, Lavi looked embarrassed, and he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Eh, sorry, Allen." He said, his face apologetic. "I didn't mean to hurt you... I didn't pull on it hard at all, I promise." His expression unexpectedly turned impish, and Allen felt himself pale a bit, a feeling of dread forming in the pit of his stomach. "Your ears are kinda sensitive, huh?" he said, grinning (more than a bit lewdly, Allen might add), and Allen blushed, sputtering.

"Why...y-you...goddammit, Lavi!" He exclaimed, glaring lividly at the redhead, ears pinned, his tail swishing quickly from side to side in irritation as the Exorcists surrounding him laughed.

Embarrassed, Allen tried to look anywhere but at the laughing Exorcists around him, and his steely eyes unexpectedly met with a pair of black ones. Immediately, the eyes widened, quickly looking away as they had before, but this time something seemed... different.

Was that... a _blush _he'd seen on the man's face? Kanda, the most expressionless, unfeeling man Allen had ever encountered... The way his eyes had widened and looked away so quickly almost made it seem like he was... _embarrassed. _

Unbidden, Allen felt a feeling of mischief begin to twist in his belly, and he observed the alluring, raven-haired man silently as he looked anywhere but at Allen, a very faint pink shade just barely visible on the tops of his cheeks. All of a sudden, he got up and stormed out of the room, and Allen watched his long, dark ponytail swish against his back with appreciative eyes as he stomped away. The gears in his mind were turning - which was never a good thing - and he suppressed a naughty smirk.


	5. 5

_Sorry this took so long. I won't bore you with the details, but I seem to be at that critical point in the story where I need to decide more firmly what I want to happen next._

_I planned to make it longer, but I figured you'd appreciate having something sooner rather than later instead. :)_

_As always, my appreciation goes out to all who read, follow, favorite, and review._

_Enjoy ~_

_X Rozu-san_

* * *

"Allen, baby! What'll you be having tonight, dear?" Jerry asked enthusiastically.

Smiling at the man happily, Allen listed off the meals he wanted to eat, Jerry's smile growing with each request. When he'd finished, Jerry gave him a wink and a thumbs up, and turned to prepare his order.

When, after several minutes, he'd finally received his - as always - huge amount of food, Allen walked carefully over to where his friends sat. Setting his trays down carefully, he saw Lavi look up at him, smiling through a mouthful of food, and Lenalee regarding him with a warm smile. The rest of the table was empty.

"Evening, Allen. What do you think of your first real day at the Order?" Lenalee asked in greeting.

Allen smiled at the two. "Hey Lenalee, Lavi." he said. Lenalee nodded to him and Lavi gave him a cheeky smile, his mouth still full.

Allen continued, "Honestly, I still can't believe the size of this place. I'm not sure if I'll ever really figure it out," Allen said, his smile impish and his ears twitching with humor. "I like it here a lot, though. Even though I've only really been an Exorcist for a day, it already feels almost like... a home. A family." He looked around, noticing all the people eating their lunches in the cafeteria. There were finders everywhere, as well as some scientists and a few Exorcists. Involuntarily, his eyes stopped for a second on the furthest table in the corner, where Kanda sat alone, eating his soba.

Honestly, he still didn't know what he thought about the man.

He'd seemed normal enough - if not a bit serious - during the first few times they'd interacted so far, but out of the fights and adrenaline, it was obvious that he wasn't nearly as friendly as Allen had assumed. Allen had nothing against him for that, it was just... he'd been looking forward to getting to know him better. And now that he didn't have the help of an adrenaline rush, he'd realized that the man was honest-to-god intimidating in more ways than one.

Not that he'd ever admit it, of course.

Allen looked away from the Exorcist, returning his attention to his friends. He blinked and stealthily grabbed his tail, pulling it into his lap and out of sight when he noticed it flicking back and forth conspicuously.

"I'm excited to get some sort of assignment, though. I won't lie, I'm not really used to being so relaxed and not having some place to be. I'm already feeling a bit stir crazy." Allen said, examining the back of his hands where his Innocence tattoos were. He looked up at his friends, and true to his words, his eyes were sparkling with excitement.

"Well, you'll get over that soon enough!" Lavi said with a grin, and all three of them laughed.

When their laughter had died down, Lavi looked down at Allen, sighing wistfully.

"When you've got the time, though, Allen, I'd really like to take some time to train with you. Ever since that day I saw you picking off demons like flies, I've wanted to try you on for size myself. And maybe you could give me some tips on that whole unlocking-your-innocence thing, ne?" Lavi said with a crooked grin, poking him in the side lightly with his elbow.

"I'd like to also, Allen - um, if that's okay with you, " Lenalee started shyly. "I've been feeling a bit out of practice lately. I'd love to challenge you, especially since there are no other worthwhile opponents around." By the end of this, she was smirking quite devilishly.

"Hey!" Lavi exclaimed, smiling. "I'm a worthy opponent, aren't I?" He asked petulantly, and Lenalee just scoffed, trying to look at him with disdain, though her warm smile showed through. Allen laughed at the two of them, his smile fond and wistful as he watched them continue to bicker.

Unconsciously, his eyes drifted to Kanda again. He quickly looked away when he felt his tail flick in his lap and his ears twitch lightly. Uncharacteristically, Allen had a small, unsettled-looking frown on his face.

* * *

**_The Following Day_**

Kanda slowly allowed himself to emerge from the state of meditation he'd entered, frowning, as someone knocked lightly on the door. Lenalee's hesitant voice began to speak softly from the other side. Her voice trembled just the slightest bit, as if she were troubled, and the sound made Kanda's mood - which the disturbance had, predictably, upset - soften just a bit.

"...Kanda? Can I come in?" she asked quietly, as if trying to preserve the peaceful state she'd drawn him out of.

Kanda sighed, and after a minute, grunted toward the door, turning his still relaxed countenance to evaluate the girl entering the training room. Only the barest hint of a crease showed between his eyebrows, thanks to his relaxed state.

"What do you want?" He asked, looking up at her. His words were harsh, but his voice was deep and gentle, expressionless.

Lenalee looked at the unusually peaceful man sitting cross-legged on the floor of the small training room, his sword laying close to his right side. She took in his abnormally relaxed, but poised, posture, his dark, bluish hair free and running smoothly down his back, and the way his sharp facial features were softer than usual. He really was beautiful.

Of course, though she easily took note of the Japanese man's beauty, she'd never felt anything more for him than the bond of a sibling. She'd even been jealous of his staggering looks, back when she was younger. She smiled internally at the silly memory.

Kanda turned his head forward again, closing his eyes as he had been before.

The green-haired girl walked carefully over to the meditating samurai, her steps light and nearly noiseless. She gracefully sat down on his right side, so that Mugen lay between them.

After a minute of peaceful silence, Lenalee gently laid her hand on Kanda's arm, who's eyes immediately opened at the contact. His blank face turned to look at her, and his black eyes looked deeper than usual, dark circles under them standing out in sharp contrast to his pale skin.

"Kanda..." Lenalee started with a sigh. "What's bothering you?"

There was a minute of silence.

"What makes you think anything's bothering me?" he rumbled in reply.

Lenalee raised an eyebrow.

Kanda's eyes narrowed just barely, nearly unnoticeably.

"Does this have anything to do with what Allen said?"

Kanda tensed.

"Che. That bullshit? Of course not." He retorted, voice flat and emotionless. His instincts were screaming at him to look away from those perceptive purple eyes. He tried desperately to stifle his frown.

"Well, you've been acting weird ever since that day. And seriously, Kanda... the stuff he said sounded pretty real. You're one of the only ones who doesn't seem to believe him."

There was a pause, and tension was heavy in the air. They sat like that for some time, until Lenalee finally broke the silence.

Her voice was heavy with implication. "I think he was talking about you."

Kanda's face didn't change. There was no shock, no surprise - no reaction whatsoever. Lenalee paused, looking and waiting for it, but nothing came.

Lenalee's face became serious, and she caught Kanda's eyes with her own. Her gaze was certain, determined, and the slightest bit accusatory. "When Allen was describing the rare type, he was watching you the whole time. And I _know _you saw it, too." She said seriously.

Kanda finally looked away. He turned to face forward, closing his eyes as if meditating again. "I told you already. I don't believe that bullshit." He rumbled lowly.

"Liar." She said suddenly, nearly cutting him off, a ghost of a smile twisting the corners of her lips.

At this, Kanda couldn't keep his eyes from opening, though he succeeded in keeping his face blank. He wanted badly to frown at his slip-up.

"There's something you're not telling me. I'm not stupid enough to think I can get the information out of you," she said, an obvious and somewhat mischievous smile on her lips now, "but I know that there's been something odd going on with you ever since Allen's arrival. Anyone with a pair of eyes who took the time to look could see that."

She stood. Kanda tried to see her face, but it was covered by her bangs. He could only see the slight smile on her lips.

"Whatever it is, I really do hope you work it out somehow. I do worry about you."

"Che."

"I know, I know. It's not like I can help it, though." She looked up through her hair, giving Kanda a genuine smile. "Good luck." She bid him.

As she neared the door, she stopped, her hand resting on the knob. "And Kanda," she said, "stop lying to me, okay?" she said quietly, amusement and a bit of exasperation in her tone. Kanda couldn't stop himself from smirking in reply as she walked out the door.

After the door had closed, though, Kanda sighed, putting his head in his hands.

* * *

**_Later_**

"The usual." The Japanese man growled to Jerry.

"Comin' right up!" The enthusiastic man replied, before getting to work on his meal.

As he waited, Kanda's eyes began to idly scan the cafeteria. There were mostly finders present, but there were a few exorcists sitting in the center of the cafeteria. His eyes easily picked out a stark white head of hair sporting two pointy ears sitting among them; he stood out like a sore thumb.

And he was looking right at Kanda.

Kanda raised an eyebrow at the boy, surprised by his audacity when he didn't look away.

"Here you are, Kanda!" Jerry proclaimed, snapping Kanda out of his staring match. Taking his soba, he proceeded to walk to his table in the furthest corner of the cafeteria, pointedly keeping his eyes from the white-haired boy - as well as his annoying table mates - the whole time.

He sat down, anticipating a silent, peaceful meal. He tucked into his soba without hurry.

Several minutes passed, and Kanda was beginning to get lost in his own thoughts. Unbidden, a head of white hair popped into his relaxed mind.

Then, suddenly, the bench across from him creaked ominously. His eyes snapped open. Mentally, he cursed his intuition for being so sharp.

Slowly, his glare raised inch by inch from his food to the figure across from him, his expression absolutely murderous.

"The fuck do you want, Moyashi?" He spat.

Steely silver eyes narrowed in displeasure, and his white ears pressed flat to his head. "My name is _Allen_," he said.

Kanda just glared.

"I thought you wouldn't mind me sitting with you, since you always sit alone."

Kanda snorted.

"Why on earth would I want to sit with a _cursed one, _let alone one as weird as you?" he retorted, his black eyes only slits.

Allen's silver eyes opened wide, then narrowed again, his face twisting into an agitated frown. "What the hell, Kanda? What did I ever do to you?"

Suddenly, the air around them seemed to crack with energy, and Allen was instantly on high alert. He couldn't help but flinch, though, when Kanda rose from his seat violently, looming over Allen. His whole countenance was radiating disgust and hatred, and his face was distorted with anger. A low growl was rumbling in his chest, and it made Allen's ears press flat to his head and his eyes go wide.

"You fucking did _everything, _Moyashi." he growled.

Allen, operating solely on instinct, hunched over, backing away, his ears flat to his head in supplication. Internally, he bristled, even as his mind was reeling.

He could only look on with huge eyes, his muscles frozen. He couldn't find the ability to retreat or move back any further, and even though his mind was telling him to turn tail, something deeper was holding him in place.

Suddenly, Kanda's furious black eyes flashed with something, though it was too quick for Allen to really see, and no more than a second after, he felt a shock of pain in the lines of innocence on the backs of his hands. He winced at the feeling, clenching his hands into fists, frowning in confusion at the situation and the sensation. He looked up with wide silver eyes at the still-angry Kanda with confusion, interest, anger, and fear.

They stared at each other like that for minutes or hours, the air between them liable to combust at any second, until all of a sudden, Kanda straightened, his eyes widening and disconnecting from Allen's. He pressed a hand to his forehead, hunching over as he backed out of his seat. He paused there for a minute, as if all his strength had left him, his arms trembling ever so slightly. With clear effort, he stumbled away from the table and out of the cafeteria.

Allen could only look on, still reeling and more curious than ever. He pressed a hand to his face where it was tingling, and was surprised to find his cheeks warm.

* * *

Kanda smacked into the hallway wall heavily as he left the cafeteria. He slumped against it, his legs weak, his arms flat against the wall and struggling to support the weight his legs couldn't. He panted heavily, turning his eyes to the high ceilings above him in despair. A line of sweat rolled down his face.

_'What the hell is happening to me?' _he questioned mentally in despair. Even his thoughts sounded weak.

He heard faint footsteps and pushed desperately against the wall, working to stand straight. Fuck if he knew what was happening, but he'd be damned if he'd let anyone see him like this.

He leaned against the wall, working to disguise his heavy breathing, as a finder walked by. The man glanced at Kanda curiously, only to snap his eyes away as Kanda glared back at him murderously.

After he'd disappeared, Kanda stumbled away from the wall and continued toward his room, unaware of the worried pair of silver eyes on him.

* * *

Allen held himself back from following Kanda any closer, concern and confusion clouding his thoughts. He winced as the normally strong man nearly collapsed against his door, only appearing to hold himself up by will alone. Unconsciously, his lower lip found its way between his teeth, and he frowned, his ears falling back to rest on his hair, tail drooping to the floor as the man stumbled into his room.

He had half a mind to go to him to see what was wrong, but, like before, something deep inside him - a long-buried instinct - was telling him to stay back. And he'd learned to trust his instincts.

And, honestly, he was still bristling a bit.

* * *

Kanda collapsed on his bed, panting heavily, his arms continuing to tremble.

He clamped his eyes shut, his hands going to his hair, tugging on the strands forcefully.

What the _fuck _was happening to him?

It had just been him and Allen for a minute, and - granted, he knew he didn't like the boy, but all of a sudden, something had surged inside him, and his gaze had turned red. In a heartbeat, his own anger had spiraled out of control. He'd been burning to rip his sword through the boy's throat -

Kanda threw his head down against the bed as hard as he was able. Fuck. He didn't want to _kill the boy!_

Fuck, if the Moyashi hadn't acted as he had - backing away with his ears and tail low, attempting to placate his anger - he was sure something bad would've happened. The kid was smart, he'd give him that.

Whatever. It wouldn't happen again, so it didn't matter. Kanda's face was stony.

Slowly, unlocking his muscles, he laid down on his bed, taking deep breaths as he worked to bring himself under control.

Somewhere deep in his gut, his instincts were squirming unsettlingly, as if trying to tell him something. He ignored it. After all, he wouldn't let it happen again, so what did it matter?

* * *

_Whatever could be happening to our dear Kanda? *troll face*_


End file.
